Thousands of romance authors are currently at the Most Magical Place on Earth to discover and discuss the latest trends in romance publishing at the annual conference of the Romance Writers of America. We learned about the trends of “Hot Hackers” and “Motorcycle Romance” and congratulated the RITA Award finalists and winners. We also shared some lessons about how authors can take their marketing on Goodreads to the next level.
Couldn’t make it to RWA? That’s OK. We’ve got the highlights of our presentation to share with you right here. Our panelists—Cynthia Shannon from Goodreads, Larissa Walker from Harlequin, and Danica Favorite, romance author—will be responding to any questions left in the comment section over the next few days.
1. Level up your marketing approach.
The biggest takeaway from the presentation was for authors to think strategically about how they approach Goodreads, and how they can make their efforts work better together. Every activity should enhance the next, and each action should be part of driving the marketing flywheel.
![]()
Raising awareness—whether it’s as straightforward as an advertising campaign or participating in Romance Week (or any other Genre Weeks we plan throughout the year)—helps drive shelvings on Goodreads. One way to super-charge your shelvings is by running giveaways. Shelvings should lead to sales (which you might accelerate by running a Goodreads Deal). Those sales lead to people reading your book, sharing a review or their favorite highlights (via Kindle Notes and Highlights), and discussing it with others on Goodreads. Those reviews and discussions lead to even more awareness, and the whole cycle starts all over again.
All of this activity is amplified on Goodreads via the Newsfeed, which shows every activity you do on the site for all your followers to see. There is so much value in getting followers on Goodreads, as Goodreads automatically notifies those readers when a new book by an author they follow is released. Knowing how to strategically drive the marketing flywheel will take your marketing efforts to new heights.
2. Level up your marketing tools.
We have several exciting products in the works for authors, including ebook Giveaways, Kindle Notes and Highlights, and Goodreads Deals. While we’re still working on opening up these features to all authors, some beta participants have already given us insight into how they can possibly be used for marketing purposes and drive that flywheel.
![]()
Danica Favorite shared some Kindle Notes & Highlights on her book, Rocky Mountain Dreams, in advance to our presentation. “I think this is an awesome tool for authors to be able to share their favorite parts of their books with readers and hopefully get some readers hooked!”
We’re excited to see how more authors and readers share their favorite passages and thoughts on their books. While Kindle Notes & Highlights is currently in beta, you can read about how to share your notes here.
3. Level up your marketing research.
Savvy authors know that different messages will reach different readers, so they’re constantly fine-tuning. By using the information that Goodreads readers share about your book, you’re able to massage your marketing materials to reflect what’s resonating with readers.
![]()
This is especially valuable when it comes to advance reviews. Consider how many sub-genres there are in romance, and how they can bleed over. You might think you’re writing a historical vampire romance but your readers are really seeing it more as a cowboy vampire romance (that could be a thing!). Start emphasizing the cowboy aspect instead of the historical part and you might just reach a better core audience of readers who will provide rave reviews.
There are many resources and case studies that authors can find on this blog and in the Goodreads Author Newsletter, so be sure to bookmark this page and review your email preferences under account settings.
Question or feedback about the presentation? Leave them in the comments below!
Next: Marketing Tips and Advice from Danica Favorite
You might also like: Romance Authors Make the Best Marketers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on July, 26
Couldn’t make it to RWA? That’s OK. We’ve got the highlights of our presentation to share with you right here. Our panelists—Cynthia Shannon from Goodreads, Larissa Walker from Harlequin, and Danica Favorite, romance author—will be responding to any questions left in the comment section over the next few days.
1. Level up your marketing approach.
The biggest takeaway from the presentation was for authors to think strategically about how they approach Goodreads, and how they can make their efforts work better together. Every activity should enhance the next, and each action should be part of driving the marketing flywheel.
Raising awareness—whether it’s as straightforward as an advertising campaign or participating in Romance Week (or any other Genre Weeks we plan throughout the year)—helps drive shelvings on Goodreads. One way to super-charge your shelvings is by running giveaways. Shelvings should lead to sales (which you might accelerate by running a Goodreads Deal). Those sales lead to people reading your book, sharing a review or their favorite highlights (via Kindle Notes and Highlights), and discussing it with others on Goodreads. Those reviews and discussions lead to even more awareness, and the whole cycle starts all over again.
All of this activity is amplified on Goodreads via the Newsfeed, which shows every activity you do on the site for all your followers to see. There is so much value in getting followers on Goodreads, as Goodreads automatically notifies those readers when a new book by an author they follow is released. Knowing how to strategically drive the marketing flywheel will take your marketing efforts to new heights.
2. Level up your marketing tools.
We have several exciting products in the works for authors, including ebook Giveaways, Kindle Notes and Highlights, and Goodreads Deals. While we’re still working on opening up these features to all authors, some beta participants have already given us insight into how they can possibly be used for marketing purposes and drive that flywheel.
Danica Favorite shared some Kindle Notes & Highlights on her book, Rocky Mountain Dreams, in advance to our presentation. “I think this is an awesome tool for authors to be able to share their favorite parts of their books with readers and hopefully get some readers hooked!”
We’re excited to see how more authors and readers share their favorite passages and thoughts on their books. While Kindle Notes & Highlights is currently in beta, you can read about how to share your notes here.
3. Level up your marketing research.
Savvy authors know that different messages will reach different readers, so they’re constantly fine-tuning. By using the information that Goodreads readers share about your book, you’re able to massage your marketing materials to reflect what’s resonating with readers.
This is especially valuable when it comes to advance reviews. Consider how many sub-genres there are in romance, and how they can bleed over. You might think you’re writing a historical vampire romance but your readers are really seeing it more as a cowboy vampire romance (that could be a thing!). Start emphasizing the cowboy aspect instead of the historical part and you might just reach a better core audience of readers who will provide rave reviews.
There are many resources and case studies that authors can find on this blog and in the Goodreads Author Newsletter, so be sure to bookmark this page and review your email preferences under account settings.
Question or feedback about the presentation? Leave them in the comments below!
Next: Marketing Tips and Advice from Danica Favorite
You might also like: Romance Authors Make the Best Marketers
Goodreads Authors can subscribe to the Monthly Author Newsletter by editing their account settings.
posted by Cynthia on July, 26